Roller thrust-bearing



I. w. SIMMONS.

ROLLER THRUST BEARING. APPLICATION FILED MAY I3, 1919.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEY JOHN WOODARID SIMMONS, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ROLLER TI-IRUST-BEARING.

Specification of Letters lPatent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Application Med May 13, 1919. Serial No. 256,871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN W. SIMMONS, a citizen oi the United Statesresiding at Cleveland, in the county of (luyahoga and State of Ohio,have invented a new and use iul Holler Thrust-l3earing, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention has reference to roller thrust bearings particularlyadapted for ill automobile differential gearing, and its ob 'ject is toprovide a bearing for the purpose, so constructed as to include aminimum number of parts and to be susceptible of assembly in a simpleand particularly eflicient manner.

In certain types of automobiles, particularly in the Ford and othersimilar automobiles it is the customary practice to provide a thrustbearing, for the differential gearing, composed of two annular steelplates, or washers with a brass or Babbitt metal annulus between them toreduce i'riction and wear. The reduction in friction is marked but thethrust hearing so made is relatively short lived and in many cases mustbe renewed when the vehicle has run only about five thousand miles, moreor less.

In accordance with the invention the thrust bearing comprises a singleplate with a peripheral roller-retaining ring of particularly resistantmetal, the plate being of soft and relatively ductile metal while thecage is flanked by bearing plates arranged on opprsite sides of theroller cage.

The invention has the advantage over similar bearings not only in theminimum number of parts but in the readiness of assembly and theresisting character of the structure to wear.

The invention will be best understood :t'rom. a consideration of thefollowing de tailed description taken in connectionwith the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding,however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformitywith the showing of the drawing, but may be changed and modified solong. as such changes and modilications mark no material departure fromthe salient features of the invention as expressed in the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:---

Figure 1 is a face view of the roller-hens 5mg part of the roller cage.

Fig. 2 is a face view oi? the ring for bold ing the rollers in place. i

Fig. 3 is a face view of the roller housing plate and ring assembled,with the roll.- ers placed.

Fig. l is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showinga further step in theassemblage of the roller bearing.

Fig. 5 is a section. on the line 5-5 01 Fig. l, but drawn on a largerscale.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Referring to .the drawing, there is shown an annulus 1 in the form oi: arelatively thick plate, with a circular series of periph eral slots 2opening outwardly, the slots be ing of segmental form or tapering towardthe center of the plate. The slots are each of an appropriate size toreceive a roller 3 of taper form and the ends of the rollers may, ifdesired, be slightly rounded as indicated at 4, thereby correspondiuglyreduc ing friction. The plate 2 is oi? a thickness such that the rollerswill project beyond opposite faces thereof when properly seated in theplate.

Before the rollers 3 are placed in the plate a ring 5, which may be ofcase-hardened metal, is forced tightly upon the plate about theperiphery thereof so as to close the slots 2 and firmly hug the plate,thereby providing a thrust bearing or abutment for the outer ends of therollersl. The ring 4. has formed in it at its inner periphery, atopposite faces of the plate, a circular series of notches or recesses 6and when the ring 5 properly lodged. on the plate 1 the metal oi theplate 1 is punched or upset into the recesses 6 to provide lips 7entering the recesses so that the plate and the ring are firmly anchoredtogether. The rollers are thereby prevented from movement longitudinallyof the rollers in the recesses 2, the arrangement being such that therollers have no material end play but do not bind at the ends in therecesses. In order to hold the rollers from escape from the cage made upof the plate 1 and ring 5, the side or radial walls of the recesses 2are upset or punched to produce radial tongues 8 on opposite sides ofthe plate 1 in partial embracing relation to the rollers 3. In thismanner the rollers are firmly held in the recesses by the tongues 8 butthese tongues are so arran ed as to not bind on the rollers, wherefore te latter may turn freely without any particular lost motion.

The lips 7 and tongues S may be readily formed because of the softnessor ductility of the annulus l, which may bemade of relatively softsteel, while the ring 5 is case hardened and so withstands the wear ofthe rollers 3 thereon, whichrolle'rs tend to thrust outwardly againstthe inner edge of the ring 5.

The roller cage with the rollers therein and secured in place is lodgedbetween two plates 9, which .may be annular plates and these plates haveone face between the inner and outer peripheries beveled, as shown at10, in conformity with the taper or bevel of the rollers 3. It iscustomary to provide the plates9 with one or more perforations 11.whereby the thrust .bearing is held in position in the machine inwhich-it is used so that the two plates 9 turn with the parts betweenwhich they are located and consequently all thrust wear isborne by theplates '9 and rollers 3.

The thrust bearing is a simplified structure comprising a singleretainer plate 1 of relatively soft and ductile metal'radially slottedand surrounded by a case-hardened retainer ring, with the metal of theplate pressed out therefrom into recesses or sockcts in the ring,thereby-making it impossible to remove the ring without practicallydestroying the part. Furthermore, the roll ers, which arealsocaseliardened. are held in the plate not only by the ring 5 but by thestruck-out tongues 8. Moreover, the radius of each roller is such .thatit forms an effective ball-bearing contact between the outer endof theroller and the case-hardened .ring. Since the lips 7 enter the recesses6 .on .opposite sides of the ring.5, the plate 1 and ring :5 aresecurely locked together against any liability of'separation.

The-structure'issuch that the pa ts may not only be cheaply andexpeditiously formed but it is possibleto readily assemble thestructure, while theemployment of relatively soft and case-hardenedparts is feasible. This permits those parts liable to wear to be madeextremely hard but the other parts :notv so subject to wear may besecured 7 together by integral portions, thereby avoidingthe use of bent:overtongues or of rivets.

"The1structure contributes materially to the strength of the bearing, tothe ease of assembly and to the certainty of fastening the'parts-together against liabilityof accidental separation.

fully forced on .the retainer plate and is of the first-named p therelocked by tongues partly punched out of the retainer plate into recesseson the casehardened ring on opposite sides of the plate. The taperrollers are inserted in the partly assembled ring and flanges or tonguesof metal are forced up about these rollers on both sides thereof. Bymaking the thickness of the retainer plate and ring about the same andsomewhat less in thickness, say about twothirds that of the rollers, aneffective roller bearing is provided, )ermitting the retainer plate 1 tobe made 0 comparatively heavy material and therefore withstand allstrains to which it is liable.

lVhat is claimed is 1. The method of forming roller thrust bearings,which consists in providing a relatively soft retainer plate withroller-receiving slots therein open at the outer ends, then forcing acase-hardened ring, with recesses therein, about the peripheral portionof the plate and thereby closing the outer ends of the slots, thenupsetting the metal of the plate into the recesses in the ring on bothsides thereof, then placing rollers in the slots, and finally forcingthe metal of the plate into partly embracing relation to the rollers,whereby the plate and ring are locked together and the rollers areseated securely in the recesses.

2. The method of forming roller thrust bearings, which consists inproviding a roller carrying plate, forcing a ring about the peripheralportion of the plate to pro vide outer thrust supports for the rollers,upsetting the metal of the plate into opposite faces of the ring, andupsetting the metal of the plate into embracing relation J metal of theplate upset along the slots and 1v opposite sides of the plate to holdthe rollers in place, and thrust I latcs on opposite sides late and ofthe rollers.

4. A roller thrust bearing comprising a single body plate with radialperipherally located entering slots, taper rollers in the slots with thebody of the plate upset on opposite sides of the slots and faces of theplate to partially embrace the rollers and a ring peripherally hold themin the slots, embracing the plate and constituting the outer end wallsof the slots and for the rollers, and the plate-and ring'being lockedtogether by integral portions of the late, as my own I haveheretoaifixed my signaand face plates on opposite sides 0 the ture.first-named plate and in engagement with the rollers, those faces of thesecond plates JOHN WOODARD SIMMONS 5 engaging the rollers being beveledin c0n- Witnesses:

formity with the taper of the rollers. A. M. PAIURT,

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing O. F. GRATH.

